The Big Swap - Part 17

~SEVENTEEN~

"You cannot fail Vedant."

"Remember, nobody has ever failed in our family."

"Damn it!" Vedant yelled exasperatedly, completely oblivious to the awkward look the girl walking past him threw his way.

"Nanda Uncle is waiting for you to join his firm. But wait till I tell him you got into a Big Four!"

He walked the stretch of Marine Drive as he tried to calm his racing nerves.

"Vedant Shah, the first CA of our house."

He took a deep breath in and out as he continued walking until his gaze fell on the last thing he needed to see that moment,

Couples. God they're everywhere!

Growing up in Mumbai, even as a child Vedant had promised himself that no matter how mushily in love he was with a girl he was never going to indulge in the high levels of public display of affection so many guys and girls his age indulged in.

Urgh just get a room! He exclaimed, looking at one of the many couples doing you know what in Marine Drive.

They should be fined!

He continued walking, as he pulled his backpack tightly, feeling the weight of the laptop he was carrying. At last, he found a free spot, fairly distanced from the love-struck couples and the fit Uncles working out and making him guilty.

Vedant sighed, ruffled his hair and stared out at the sea before him. The waves crashed onto the interestingly shaped stones. They were all designed scientifically, in the shape of tetrahedrons. Back when he was hell-bent on taking up Science in the eleventh grade, he'd done some reading about it and had been quite proud to explain it to his classmates and friends.

He laughed to himself, recalling those carefree days.

He recalled being the invincible topper of his batch throughout school life. 96% in Tenth. That was huge. And it had come quite...naturally to him. He'd not had to skip meals, gain weight and cut out on friends for that 96%. And even before results, the stress was nothing close to what he felt that instant.

And Vedant could swear he'd worked ten times harder for his IPCC.

The results were to be announced anytime during the day. And needless to say, he'd lost all the strength to think straight. He needed some time away from his overbearing parents.

He heard a deep sigh somewhere behind him and turned back instantly. Before he could control himself, Vedant's eyes widened.

"Meera?"

How do we end up meeting like this all the time?

"It is you." She spoke in her typical soft and shy way.

"Um...yeah?"

"Why are you here?"

Vedant's brows knit together with surprise as he posed, "This is Marine Drive, Meera. Why can't I be here?"

She sighed, her arms folding before her chest.

"I can ask you the same you know." Vedant challenged, not wanting for her to leave. He hadn't realized how long it had been since their last argument. And it actually felt good to have her before him.

God it's been a month since I last saw her!

"Ask me what?"

"The reason you're here."

Her eyes narrowed at him.

NOW, what did I do?

"You know my reason." She replied with finality, and he reddened to realize he sure did. Of course the environment in her home wasn't conducive for her to sit peacefully and check her results.

"I uh..." he looked up at her with an apology, "...I do."

And then upon noticing that she'd been standing for quite long, he moved his bag from next to him away gently. "My family can be pretty..." he started to explain and also noted how she went through a mental turmoil as to the empty space next to him. "...pretty overbearing. We're a family full of overachievers and I hate to put it like this but...a bunch of um..." she nodded gently, her eyes free from any judgement and completely earnest, "...show off-s."

That's when Meera climbed on top of the stoned flooring of Marine Drive, and she grinned. She was wearing fitted jeans today that looked like they'd been designed just for her. All this while after he'd met Meera, he'd asked himself too many times what it was about her that he found so attractive.

She wasn't the sort of girl you'd fit into the 'hot' category, and she certainly didn't look nerdy. Meera was just another girl who'd walk past you at the bus stop or the train station, the sort of girl who probably dressed so normally that you'd barely notice her. But when she'd open up to you, you wouldn't have it in you to stop yourself from falling flat for her.

Because girls like Meera were the kind you didn't take to parties to show off, girls like Meera were the ones you'd feel flattered to be associated with for their stunning personality.

After a couple of seconds, Meera seated herself next to Vedant and turned towards him, "I don't know about your family. But you're sure as hell not a showoff."

Did she just say something nice about me?

Is this when I should apologize?

"You told me about your family but you didn't tell me why you're here." She insisted.

"So my family's full of overachievers who've never failed. And what if I..."

Meera shook her head vehemently, "All personal problems aside, you're not the one who should be worrying about failing Vedant."

"And why is that?"

"Because you're...." she flushed, and then looked away. "...you just don't!"

He chuckled at that, staring out at the sea.

How perfect the situation was. Meera next to him, the sea before him and the perfect temperature. Except for results.

He didn't turn towards her instantly, but from his peripheral gaze noticed how subtly Meera checked him out. What does she see in me?

He didn't turn towards her too soon and let her look at him all she wanted. And then, when even she was satiated, he mustered up some courage and spoke, "I'm really very sorry Meera. It was not in my intention to intrude your privacy like that. I wanted to return you your bag initially...but then when a single entry became two and two became three I..." he paused, gauging her reaction, "...I honestly didn't even realize...I couldn't stop myself. I started...liking you." She turned bright red and suddenly looked away at the sea, "And I didn't know where to find you." He continued gently, sensing she was actually listening to this time. "The only way for me to talk to you was to read whatever your diary had to offer."

There. He'd said it. He'd said everything he possibly could to explain. Now, it all depended on her reaction.

She didn't say anything for a really long time, and Vedant utilized that time in just observing the expressions on her face. Meera was blushing, he could tell that from the way her ears had turned bright red along with her tinted cheeks and it actually let him know that she didn't exactly hate him as he feared. Maybe she was just angry.

And maybe, just maybe, she was seeing past her anger and actually considering giving him a chance.

After a long pause,

"You didn't answer me that day." She turned towards him, the wind blowing her hair and falling on her face. His hand itched to place the chunk of hair behind her ear, but he stopped himself.

"About what?" He queried.

She blinked, and for a second he actually felt nervous as to what she'd ask, "Why me?"

Vedant shrugged in response, not quite sure where she was going with this.

"I'm not half as pretty as those girls you hang out with. I have a messed up family. And as far as my memory goes, I've nothing but complained in my diary. What could you have found attractive even in the remotest sense?"

"You know...." he started, "...my Dad has his own business of glass fittings. It's doing pretty well. He was his batch topper in school and college without any support from his family. He's a self-made man." Meera listened intently, watching Vedant look at her that special way; like she was the only one he could see. It stirred a part of her she didn't even know existed. And it scared her to think she'd wanted this for longer than she could've imagined.

"And my Mum is out of the topmost executives of IGD Bank."

All so educated! Meera exclaimed in her head.

"Let's not even get into the achievement list of my distant aunts and uncles. So my entire life, from breakfast to dinner, all I've ever heard of is talks about our career." He paused, ensuring she was on the same page as him. "They have crazy expectations, Meera. It frightens me to no end. I'm only human."

Today, Meera looked at him differently. Almost as if, some invisible barrier between them had fallen and Vedant didn't recall having felt this relaxed in a long, long time.

There was this gentleness in her eyes and a lack of judgement in her gait that was spreading an unknown warmth all over his body. She'd placed her hands in her lap. And it took all of Vedant's self control not to lean in and intertwine their fingers.

Slow, Vedant. Slow.

"Don't you have anybody to share all this with?" she asked softly.

"There's Vidisha. But she's too young, and I don't want to scare her about the future, you know?"

Meera's brows scrunched together and her look disclosed discomfort for a touch of a second.

"Oh no-no. Vidisha's my little sister!" he explained quickly, and Meera's features instantly softened.

"Oh. How old is she?"

"She'll turn sixteen next month."

She nodded curtly, her fingers fidgeting with the hair tie on her wrist, almost challenging Vedant's control at wanting to touch her.

"So all my life I've heard about studies, studies and studies. And I've hated it with every fibre of my being." Vedant watched her continue fidgeting.

For the first time in the number of times he'd met her, she actually looked vulnerable; as if there was something horrible she was waiting for to happen. "But then I found your diary. And I read of the circumstances in which you've grown."

That's when her eyes met his. He'd not seen this look in her eyes before. Of doubt...of fear and hesitance. And that's when he realized what this was all about. She was scared of what he'd say. She was scared of a judgemental and snarky remark about her growing years.

She was expecting him to treat her the way every other person in her life had treated her for the decisions she'd taken.

It surprised him, for he felt just the opposite. She was a girl he respected with everything in him and if she ever gave him the chance, he promised himself he'd spend every minute to help her get over this self-doubt she'd subjected herself to all these years.

"I just realized how lucky I am." He paused, still deciding on speaking the next few words, "And how strong you are. Don't take this the wrong way Meera, but if I were born in a house like that, I wouldn't have had the guts to take up a career like CA."

To his utter surprise, the fear and doubt disappeared from her eyes and she actually looked surprised. And then, she grinned. She shook her head and smiled to herself, the kind of smile you give when you can't believe something is actually happening.

"I don't understand." He started.

"What?"

"Are you smiling at my confession or you're smiling at some stupidity of mine?"

She just looked away, and stared straight ahead at the sea, the smile still very much there and for once, in weeks, Vedant found this unknown part of him a sigh of relief.

At least I could make her smile once.

And together, they waited for the results.

... continued The Big Swap - Part 18